Vivian Bonnell Movies
- 1996
Al (Ed O'Neill) is desperate for a slice of Aunt Maddie's Thanksgiving pie; problem is, Aunt Maddie has died. There is no other recourse for Al than to crash the old lady's funeral, where he makes a rather startling discovery. Meanwhile, Bud (David Faustino) and the D'Arcys (Ted McGinley, Amanda Bearse) would like to get their hands on Kelly's (Christina Applegate) pet turkey--who ultimate meets a fate which will be "old stuff" for fans of the vintage sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Fox sportscasters James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Ronnie Lott appear in the episode's surrealistic coda. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1992
Made for cable television, a TV-show homemaker (Dyan Cannon) invites a local hero (Kris Kristofferson) over for a live-broadcast Christmas dinner, but her lack of cooking skills could cause a problem. The film was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1992
A rookie detective's investigation of a particularly brutal murder takes a personal turn for her when her lover turns out to the their main suspect. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jaclyn Smith, John Spencer, (more)
- 1991
- PG
The two-part, four-hour TV movie Switched at Birth is based on an actual event which began unfolding in Wauchula, Florida in 1978. Brian Kerwin and Judith Hoag play the new parents of a baby girl; a few days later, another couple, played by John M. Jackson and Bonnie Bedelia, have a baby at the same hospital. Kerwin and Hoag's baby is healthy; Jackson and Bedelia's baby has a heart defect. Switched at Birth traces the lives of the two girls over a period of eight years--up to the point of a tragedy which opens the possibility that the girls may not have been given over to the correct parents at the hospital. The four parents involved find themselves in court, battling over custody of the surviving child. This intensely personal problem is bloated into a cause celebre by the press and by parents' rights pressure groups. Edward Asner and Caroline McWilliams appear as the opposing attorneys. Those who'd been following the two-part Switched at Birth during its first telecast in April of 1991 may have found themselves in family conflicts of their own, inasmuch as Part Two was shown opposite the network TV premiere of Die Hard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bonnie Bedelia, Brian Kerwin, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
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An interesting hybrid of popular film genres, Ghost showcases the talents of its entire cast. While out on the town one evening, New York couple Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) are confronted by a mugger. After submitting to his demands, Sam is murdered anyway. He then finds himself a disembodied spirit, invisible to the living world, wandering without hope until he finds a spiteful spirit aboard the subway (Vincent Schiavelli) who gives him some helpful pointers on how to co-exist. Soon Sam comes back into contact with those he knew in life, and he begins to learn piece-by-piece of his close friend and co-worker Carl's (Tony Goldwyn) embezzling plot which caused his death; the apparent mugging was, in fact, a premeditated murder. In the meantime, Carl has designs on Molly, and Sam is determined to extract revenge. He contacts a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), and together, the two set out to serve justice and stop the maniacal Carl from getting to Molly. Blending comedy, romance, action, and horror, Ghost was a box-office smash and managed to garner five Academy Award nominations, including "Best Picture," "Best Supporting Actress" (Goldberg), "Best Original Screenplay," "Best Editing," and "Best Score"; Goldberg won her first Oscar. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, (more)
Brian Gibson's made-for-cable biography of the famed singer Josephine Baker stars Lynn Whitfield as the black American who found stardom and scandal as the toast of the Paris night-life during the 1920s and '30s. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lynn Whitfield, Rubén Blades, (more)
- 1990
A mother is determined to keep her daughter from the seedy world of prostitution in this made-for-television movie. Jane Alexander stars as Peggy Ryan, a busy single mom who doesn't have much time for her daughter Charly (Roxanna Zal). Lacking guidance, Charly drifts from the wrong crowd into prostitution. Realizing what Charly has gotten herself into, Peggy refuses to accept this as her daughter's fate and sets out to get her back home. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Alexander, Roxana Zal, (more)
- 1988
When this seriocomic TV film first aired March 28, 1988, it was titled Addicted to His Love. Evidently to pacify certain feminist factions, the film was rechristened Sisterhood for syndication. Either way, this is the story of a smooth lothario, played by Barry Bostwick. In the course of 97 minutes, Bostwick finds time to romance and betray four women, played by Linda Purl, Coleen Camp, Erin Grey and Dee Wallace-Stone. Instead of getting mad upon learning that they're sharing Bostwick's affections, the four ladies join forces to get even. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The 1987 portmanteau comedy feature Amazon Women on the Moon lampoons several film genres in general and the 1954 sci-fi cheapie Cat Women of the Moon in particular. Other sketches in Amazon Women include an opening bit with Arsenio Hall; a vignette titled "Son of the Invisible Man" wherein a naked Ed Begley Jr. runs around in full view of the nonplussed supporting cast; the It's Alive parody "Hospital", which offers the spectacle of Michelle Pfeiffer giving birth to Mr. Potato Head; and a Siskel & Ebert takeoff, featuring Arche Hahn as a TV viewer whose entire life is given a "thumbs down." Directed by several hands, including Joe Dante, Carl Gottleib, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss, Amazon Women on the Moon also features a satire of the Kroger G. Babb school of "sex hygiene" exploitation cheapies, with syphilis victim Carrie Fisher being counseled by unctuous doctor Paul Bartel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
On the eve of his Hawaiian vacation, irresponsible high school teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) is forced into teaching a summer-school class. His students are all malcontents and layabouts with the standard repertoire of teenaged hang-ups and hostilities (two of the kids, who can't see enough slasher movies to suit them, are hilarious precursors to Beavis and Butt-Head). Harmon would rather spend his time with history teacher Robin Bishop (Kirstie Alley), but she doesn't think much of his laziness and lack of dedication. Shoop finally begins to take his job seriously when he realizes his students' problems are not all of their own making. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, (more)
- 1985
The latest client of the Blue Moon Detective Agency is Kathleen Kilpatrick (Alexandra Johnson), an Irish lass who claims to be a leprechaun. Kathleen hires David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) to protect her pot of gold--and herself--from a sinister criminal. Although the detectives have their doubts about Kathleen's authenticity as a leprechaun, there is no doubt that a very dangerous individual is out to get her. This week's chase climax occurs in and around an airport luggage carousel, leaving our two protagonists positively giddy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Arthur Hiller directed this satiric look at contemporary urban high schools, examining disillusioned teachers who try to regain their idealism. Nick Nolte stars as Alex, a teacher at John Fitzgerald Kennedy High School, who was once an idealistic teacher but whose main concern now is sobering up before the next class session. The high school is headed by ineffective principal Mr. Horn (William Schallert) and an imperious vice-principal named Roger (Judd Hirsch). When a recent graduate of the high school sues the school because it graduated him illiterate, Alex finds himself in conflict with the hard-nosed school superintendent Dr. Burke (Lee Grant). The high school heats up even more when Alex falls in love with Lisa (JoBeth Williams), the attractive lawyer who was once one of Alex's honor students. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, JoBeth Williams, (more)
- 1981
This episode focuses on Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), who is appalled to discover that the city plans to tear down the building where she grew up. Taking a sentimental journey to her old neighborhood, Louise recalls her childhood, her mother, and her wedding. LaShana Dendy, Kim Callegar, and Sharon Brown appear as the various "younger" versions of Louise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1979
- R
T.T. (Dennis Christopher), a Midwesterner, has traveled to the beaches of California for a dose of the surfin' life. He believes that the people he finds there are glamorous and knowledgeable. They reject his Midwestern nerdiness, make fun of him, and generally give him a hard time for not fitting in and wanting to. However, eventually he figures out that they are no wiser than he is, and that their lives are surprisingly empty. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glynnis O'Connor, Seymour Cassel, (more)
- 1976
- PG
This biographical picture explores the troubled life of blues singer and master guitarist Leadbelly, who developed his style and wrote many of his songs during his frequent stints in prison. Featured performances are "&Rock Island Line" and "&Goodnight Irene". ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Roger E. Mosley, Paul Benjamin, (more)
- 1976
The Evanses' neighborhood is being terrorized by the Warlords, a rampaging street gang. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) joins a citizens' group to form a united front against the gang -- little suspecting that her own son Michael (Ralph Carter) has become a Warlord himself. Desperately hiding his association with the gang, Michael tries to quit the Warlords cold -- which is just the way he may end up, if the street punks have anything to say about it. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Florida (Esther Rolle) throws a surprise baby shower for her friend Loretta (Mary Alice). The festivities come to an abrupt and unpleasant halt when Loretta announces that she intends to put the baby up for adoption. Will Florida and the kids be able to dissuade the expectant mother from her unhappy resolve? Estelle Evans, the real-life sister of series star Esther Rolle, appears as Alice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Barbra Streisand returns to the screwball-comedy milieu of What's Up Doc? in the lightweight For Pete's Sake. As a Brooklyn hausfrau named Henry (!), our heroine will do anything to help her cabdriver husband Pete (Michael Sarrazin) get ahead. When Pete begins to play the stock market, Henry borrows three grand from a loan shark, thereby setting off a series of comic catastrophes. Molly Picon is perfection itself as a money-savvy madam who holds the key to Pete and Henry's happiness and well-being. For Pete's Sake was originally titled July Pork Bellies, a curious cognomen that makes perfect sense within the context of the plotline. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barbra Streisand, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
- 1973
The Rampart emergency team try to save a suicidal youngster from leaping off an apartment ledge. Elsewhere, the paramedics rescue a man who has been trapped in a doughnut machine. And in what would normally be a less stressful moment, John (Randolph Mantooth) suffers from a terrible bout of stage fright when he appears on a live TV show. Jo Anne Worley makes a return visit as Maude Grayson, the "scream therapy" lady (at least, she does in the uncut network version of this episode). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Consulting a psychic, Lamont (Demond Wilson) discovers he is a Double Libra. As such, it is in Lamont's best interests to be nicer to his crotchety old dad Fred (Redd Foxx). Meanwhile, Fred passes out after eating some spoiled collard greens. Awakening to find Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) praying over him, and Lamont behaving in an uncharacteristic kind and loving fashion, Fred is convinced that he is at death's door (exclaiming, "I'm comin', Elizabeth!"). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
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